Court hears how man harassed schoolgirl for five weeks, calling her “beautiful” and “gorgeous”

A South Tyneside pervert left a schoolgirl fearing he might rape her after he enclosed her in his arms and whispered, “What would you say if I said I had a crush on you?"

Sick Paul Jagger’s unwanted cuddle and devastating remark led the youngster to flee into her South Shields home and break down in front of her mum, a court heard.

It was the culmination of five weeks of harassment towards her by Jagger, 50, of Beach Road, South Shields, at a previous address close to his victim’s.

She told police he was constantly at his front door, which she had to pass to get to her home, whenever she arrived from the classroom.

And at other times he called her “beautiful” and “gorgeous”, leaving her feeling deeply uncomfortable, prosecutor Lesley Burgess said.

Jagger was charged with stalking and engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity, via his cuddle, but denied the allegations.

He was found guilty at trial but continued to protest his innocence even after conviction.

But his mask slipped when he was ordered by a court to work with the Probation Service to compile a report into his offences, admitting to them he was sexually attracted to the girl.

Borough magistrates refused to sentence Jagger, telling him their powers were insufficient for his crimes and sent him to be dealt with by Newcastle Crown Court.

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Ms Burgess said: “What she describes is that when she was coming in from school he was always at the front door of his property.

“He would call her gorgeous and beautiful and what she made clear was that she felt that he was looking her up and down.

“She would regularly call her mum when approaching so that she was talking to someone.

“On February 6 he was there, and he put his arms around her and said, ‘What would you say if I said I had a crush on you?’

“She wasn’t sure what he meant but he said it again. She went inside and broke down.

“She was fearful that he could have taken her inside his flat. She wasn’t sure if she was to be raped. Her mum went and confronted him.

“There’s an audio recording and you can hear him saying sorry several times. The police were called.”

Charlton Carr, who defended Jagger at his trial and his sentencing hearing, said: “It’s right to say that in my conversations with him, and in the course of dealing with him, there was never any admission of guilt in relation to these offences.

“He was found guilty. He’s been a lot more forthcoming with the Probation Service with his offences.

“In the report, he fully admits to being sexually attracted to her for a number of months. That was unknown to me.

“It’s difficult to mitigate when he says that with his own mouth to the Probation Service. It appears that he has accepted some liability.

“It’s difficult to work with a defendant who says all along that he is innocent.”Jagger, who has been placed on the sex offenders register, will be sentenced at the crown court on Tuesday, August 1.

He was granted bail on condition he does not contact the girl, go into her street or be in the presence of any female aged under-16.